T-minus three weeks until the start of the NFL regular season. The wait is almost over. Football is finally here.

We still have a couple of weeks of the preseason to get through before the regular season begins, but I think it’s finally prediction time. I’ve already gone through every team’s schedule and predicted their records, and next week I’ll be doing my playoff and Super Bowl predictions, but today, I thought it would be a good time to give my award predictions.

From MVP to Coach of the Year, here’s who I think will win every major award this season.

Most Valuable Player: Joe Burrow

Runner Up: Josh Allen

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Matthew Stafford are all considered top-five quarterbacks in the league by many fans, and they all have at least one MVP. You know the only guy who’s consistently in top-five conversations that doesn’t have one? Joe Burrow, and I think it’s about time he gets his.

Burrow has dealt with a ton of injuries throughout his career, so he’s really only had three seasons where he realistically could’ve won it. In those three seasons, he’s throw for over 4,400 yards and 34 touchdowns in every one of them and has finished fourth place in MVP voting twice.

This year, if Burrow is healthy, there’s no reason to believe he can’t throw for 4,500 yards and 35+ touchdowns, and if the Cincinnati Bengals are good enough – and I think they will be – he should be in the mix for the MVP.

There are a lot of guys who could win it this year, but I think it’s finally Burrow’s turn.

Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs

Runner Up: Ja’Marr Chase

As boring as it is, I’m going with Jahmyr Gibbs to win Offensive Player of the Year. He’s the odds-on favorite right now on a lot of sportsbooks, but there’s a good reason for it.

Over the past two seasons, Gibbs is averaging over 1,800 total yards and 19 total touchdowns per season, and that was while splitting time with David Montgomery in the backfield. Now, Montgomery is gone, and I know they brought Isiah Pacheco in, but they also just paid Gibbs big-time money, and they’re going to make sure they get the most out of him.

Gibbs has averaged about 250 carries over the last two years, and that number should only increase this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets 275-285 carries, and with the 5.3 YPC he’s averaged over the last two seasons, that’s about 1,450 rushing yards. Add on another 70ish receptions and 500-600 receiving yards, and that’s a 2,000-yard season with likely 20ish touchdowns.

Bijan Robinson, Ja’Marr Chase, and others will have a say in this, but I think Gibbs takes home the Offensive Player of the Year after being the best player on one of the best offenses in football.

Defensive Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson

Runner Up: Will Anderson Jr.

There are a lot of great edge rushers that could win this award, and there are even a few corners (Derek Stingley, Quinyon Mitchell) that could be in the mix as well, but my money is on Aidan Hutchinson.

In 2023, Hutchinson’s second season in the league, he recorded 101 pressures, 67 hurries, and 11.5 sacks. In 2024, he suffered a gruesome injury that caused him to miss most of the year, but he came back in 2025 and posted 100 pressures, 64 hurries, and 14.5 sacks. Now that he’s been completely healthy for over a year, I expect his 2026 season to be even better.

Hutchinson should be able to hit the 100-pressure mark once again this season, which, by the way, has only been done four times since 2020 – Maxx Crosby in 2021, Micah Parsons in 2023, and Aidan Hutchinson in 2023 and 2025. If he can do that and put up 16+ sacks, there’s no reason he can’t take home the Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jadarian Price

Runner Up: Jeremiyah Love

Jeremiyah Love doesn’t come in second place often, but my bold prediction is that his backup at Notre Dame will have a better rookie season than him and end up winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Jadarian Price is in a great situation. The Seattle Seahawks have a great offense, and with Zach Charbonnet’s return date still up in the air, he’s going to enter the season as their RB1. If he gets off to a hot start like many expect him to, by the time Charbonnet returns, it may be too late for him to earn the starting job back.

Meanwhile, Love is in an Arizona offense that should be pretty good, but they have a very bad offensive line and are going to be playing from behind in a lot of their games. I think he’ll be good, but it’ll be an Ashton Jeanty-like rookie season.

Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson could enter the mix as well, but Tate’s in a suspect offense and Tyson is already dealing with injuries. Price just seems like a safe bet to me.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Caleb Downs

Runner Up: Cashius Howell

This is another boring pick, but I think it’s the right one. Caleb Downs was my No. 1 overall player in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he went to a defense where he can make the biggest impact in year one. The Dallas Cowboys desperately needed secondary help, so he can play deep at free safety or in the slot, and either way he’s going to make a massive difference.

There are a lot of pass rushers in this year’s class that I think are going to be good players, but Caleb Downs feels like the only defensive player in this class that I can guarantee will be a superstar five years from now, and for that reason, I’m picking him to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Plus, he’s on the Cowboys, and the NFL would love to give them an award.

Protector of the Year: Penei Sewell

Runner Up: Garrett Bolles

Protector of the Year is entering its second year of existence, and after Joe Thuney won it last year, I think it’s time for the best offensive tackle in the league to win it.

Penei Sewell has been a stud ever since he entered the league. Outside of his rookie season, he’s never allowed more than two sacks and 28 pressures in a single year, and he’s one of the best run-blocking tackles in the game, earning a 90+ run-blocking grade in each of the past three seasons. Now, he’s moving back to left tackle and is going to be a key piece for one of the best offenses in the league.

It’s going to be hard to deny Sewell Protector of the Year for the second straight season when he’s clearly the best offensive lineman in the league.

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Donald

Runner Up: Kyler Murray

Comeback Player of the Year is always a hard one to figure out, because you never really know who qualifies, but I think it’s pretty clear that Aaron Donald would qualify if he makes a return to the NFL this season.

Donald hasn’t even signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and he already has the fourth-best odds to win the award, and I’m falling for the bait. Many people forget that this guy is still only 35 years old, and it’s not like he just forgot how to play football. I’m not saying he’ll have another three-year career ahead of him, but for one season, he could step in and make a huge difference, especially considering the guys he has around him on the defensive line.

If Donald comes back and racks up nine sacks, he’s almost a shew in to win this award. The league would be itching to give it to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Kellen Moore

Runner Up: DeMeco Ryans

Coach of the Year typically goes to a young coach who turned a bad team into a good team, and this year, I don’t think there’s a single candidate more likely to do that than Kellen Moore.

The Saints went 6-11 last year, but they won four of their last five games with Tyler Shough under center, and they added a ton of pieces, such as Travis Etienne, Jordyn Tyson, and David Edwards, to their offense. The Saints also play in the NFC South, which is the worst division in football, so 11+ wins isn’t out of the equation.

The Saints are a lot of people’s sleeper pick this year, and if they win 11+ games and host a playoff game, Moore will be in the conversation to win Coach of the Year.